Dotty

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈdɒti/

Definitions

1. Marked by a quirky or eccentric personality
2. Pertaining to things that are spotted or exhibit a pattern of small dots
3. Having a slightly unusual or odd character often perceived as mildly mentally unbalanced ; featuring numerous small spots or speckles on a surface

Etymology: "Dotty" is built from "dot" plus the suffix "-y", which turns a noun into an adjective meaning "characterised by" or "full of" the thing named. A dotty surface is simply one covered in dots, and that sense of speckled or spotted is the older one. The word then shifted from describing a patterned surface to describing a patterned mind: someone whose thinking has small, scattered specks of oddity in it, rather than a whole person who is simply eccentric. The connection that often surprises people is with "dote" and "totty," the latter meaning "unsteady" or "dizzy." Dictionaries mention these as possible relatives, though the link is uncertain, and "dotty" is most plainly understood as a straightforward formation from "dot." Its eccentric sense is the one most readers now meet first, while the speckled meaning survives mainly in descriptions of fabric, plumage or markings.

Synonyms: crazy, eccentric, quirky, dizzy, foolish

Antonyms: sane, rational, calm, sensible, reasonable